Epson Moverio BT100
Wear the Moverio BT100,
and you're bound to grab eyeballs. This wearable display is a futuristic
device that makes you look like a blind man from 2050. But then that's
the price you pay for being an early adopter of such high-tech. Simply,
the gadget is a personal entertainment system on which you can watch
movies (including 3D content), browse the net, and what not. The wired
glasses become your display, while the Wi-Fi-capable base unit - with
its rechargeable battery, storage, memory slots, as well as a trackpad
and directional buttons for navigation - are the brains of the system.
What we like The headset and the base unit are sturdily built. Besides, the BT100 comes with a durable protective case, which makes it easy to carry. Although you're viewing a micro-projection LCD, the perceived image size is close to the 80 inches that Epson states in its spec sheet. Transferring content to the device, as well as navigating through its user interface, is simple like it is with any Android-based device. The unit plays FullHD 1080p video (MKV format, however, doesn't play), and its Dolby-enhanced sound make for clear audio. 3D content looks good.
What we don't like
It's heavy. Wear the headset for an hour and you start feeling its weight on the bridge of your nose. Also, given its size, you cannot move your head around freely for fear of the unit falling off. The device runs Android, but there's no Play Store. You can copy APKs (Android Application Package files) onto a memory card to install apps, but that seems like a roundabout process. Surfing the net using its touchpad and direction keys is cumbersome. Given this device is about portability, its battery life at between 4 to 5 hours is inadequate. Expensively priced for the experience it delivers.
Specs: Head Set: 16:9, 0.52-inch poly-silicon TFT active Matrix Colour LCD, (960x540 pixels), 24-bit colour | Removable lens shade for privacy | Dolby Mobile, 1.5mW (2.5mm Mono x 2) sound output | 3.5mm headphone jack | 240g Controller: Capacitive, single-touch trackpad, individual navigation buttons | Android 2.2 | 1GB internal memory, support for microSD (2GB max) and micro SDHC (32GB max) | microUSB | Wi-Fi | Lithium-polymer 2530mAh | 165g
Samsonite Torus Solar Backpack
The bane of modern life is batteries. Every portable gadget needs one, and it always seems to be running out. The Torus Solar backpack packs a solar charger to power up your gadgets on the move. So whether you're moving about the city or trekking in the mountains, your gadgets in this bag are always charged and ready.What we like
The battery reservoir in the Torus Solar works well to charge almost all handsets and cameras to at least 50%. The bag doesn't need to be facing the sunlight all the time. As long as the prominent light source is the sun, it'll keep charging, albeit at a slower rate. The charging unit is detachable, so if you're trekking, you can leave your bulky backpack at the camp while you travel with the solar pack to keep your gadgets juiced.
What we don't like The time taken to charge up the built-in battery is excruciating. Samsonite claims it takes 4 hours for a full charge; on an average, it took us 16 hours when outdoors. The battery is too small to power-up laptops and high-end tablets fully. Having slots for every type of gadget makes the Torus big and bulky. And this leaves little room for other stuff. Besides, the solar charger isn't light either. In the end, you have a heavy backpack that may not let you carry everything you need.
Specs: Special slots for laptop, tablet, mobile, camera | Detachable solar panel zip pouch | 1600mAh battery | Connectors for microUSB and two other common pin sizes for laptops, phones and tablets | Made from 900D and 1680D polyester, lined with 210D high-density polyester.
Portronics Electropen Portronics
Portronics Electropen Portronics takes the humble writing instrument and transforms it into a high-tech digitalizer. Write or draw anything on an A4-sized sheet, and the Electropen automatically converts your scribbles into an image or PDF file when you connect it to your computer. And yes, this one also doubles up as a computer mouse.What we like
Pin the receiver onto the paper you are writing on, switch it on and you're ready to go. The only thing to be careful about is to not have anything come between the pen and its receiver (but this is not a deal-breaker). When used with the PC, the Electropen can be a mouse, complete with a button to click. But its tip is not pressure sensitive, so don't get ideas about using it as a stylus for drawings. The rechargeable base unit needs to be juiced up after about 8 hours of use, while the pen's battery is like the Energizer bunny - just goes on and on...
What we don't like Thou shall use A4 sheets only. Use wider or longer paper and the Electropen won't work. It's weird to pin the base unit on a notebook, since it makes it irksome to turn pages. Also, when you are done writing on a page, you have to press the On/Off button on the base unit to save the page. Not only does it disrupt your flow, but if you forget and start on the next page, you chance losing your data or mixing it up. The bundled Note Manager software fails to turn handwriting into text. Given that the point of the Electropen is to digitize notes, this is a major miss. You still get your handwriting in an image file or PDF, but not as editable digital text.
Specs: Ultrasound and infrared connection | About 8 hours of continuous writing with Receiver | 30 hours (approx) of continuous writing with pen | 12gm | Works only with A4 | Standard refill (67mm long, 2.35mm diameter).
Sony SmartWatch
Sony's SmartWatch is a device that Android phone owners can use to check for missed calls, read messages and see social networking updates without taking their phones out from their pockets. But every now and then, this gizmo felt like a solution in search of a problem. And more often than not, we found that taking out our phone to read a message or listen to songs to be a much better option than the alternative on our wrist. Of course, this nifty toy still gives early-adopter geeks boasting rights...What we like
Good build quality, and the aluminum frame around the watch adds to the aesthetics in its design. Setting up SmartWatch is easy. Just install the SmartConnect app from Android Play Store on your phone and pair it with the watch. The SmartWatch comes in handy for geeks who jog or exercise. Using the Endomondo Sports Tracker, it allows a user to access information like distance covered, speed and location, etc. Three-day battery life under normal use.
What we don't like SmartWatch has a poor screen with a very low resolution of 128x128 pixels. Touch response is on the slower side. It uses mini apps which connect to the main apps installed on the smartphone. Not many mini apps are available. Even the ones that are, do not have a killer purpose or user interface that makes them indispensable. This SmartWatch is not that smart. It is dependent on the phone for its functionality, which severely limits its usefulness.
Specs: 120Mhz ARM CPU | 128KB RAM | 1MB flash storage | BlueTooth 3.0 | 1.3-inch capacitive touchscreen with 128x128 pixels | 110mAh battery